Tag: mahalo economy ukulele

Oodles of Mahalo Ukuleles (Ya know, for kids!)

So, I'm not sure my office has ever looked this fun before.  Dig it:

Mahalo Ukuleles for Kids
Mahalo Ukuleles for Kids

Did I really buy 8 Mahalo Ukuleles?  Yup.

Did I get a discount?  Nope.

Are all of these Ukuleles for me?  Sadly, nope.

I'm teaching a ukulele class for the kid's of our local Flagship program.  I asked them how many ukuleles they had and I think they only have like 2-3 to work with but there are going to be like 13 kids or something?  So, scrounging together my own ukuleles, I realized that I needed to buy some more.

That's what led me to 8 shiny new Mahalo ukuleles on my office floor.  I'm going to be donating these to the flagship program in the hopes that they can use them over and over again.  And, I'm going to have to admit, I'm going to be sad to see these little babies go.  They've been making me smile all dang day.

My plan for the kids is to show them a few chords and talk about having fun with music and then teach them Big Rock Candy Mountain and/or Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, by the Flaming Lips.  Hopefully we can get through both.  I really wanted to tackle Livin' Thing by ELO, but there are a fair amount of tricky chords in there.

Here is the modified version of Big Rock Candy Mountain that I'm going to be using:
C - 0003
F - 2010
G7 - 0212

"Big Rock Candy Mountain" (Modified by Ukulele Guy)

Introduction:
One [C]evening as the sun went down
And the campfires all were burning,
Down the track came a hobo hikin',
And he said, "Boys, I'm not a-turning.
I'm [F]headed for a [C]land that's [F]far a[C]way,
Be[F]side the crystal [G7]fountains,
So [C]come with me, we'll go and see,
The Big Rock [G7]Candy [C]Mountains.

Verse 1:
"[C]In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
There's a [F]land that's fair and [C]bright,
Where the [F]french fries grow on [C]bushes,
And you [F]sleep out every [G7]night,
Well [C]all the schools are empty,
And the [F]sun shines every [C]day,
On the [F]birds and the [C]bees
And the [F]candy bar [C]trees,
The [F]lemonade [C]springs
Where the [F]bluebird [C]sings,
In the [G7]Big Rock Candy [C]Mountains.

Verse 2:
"[C]In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
You [F]never change your [C]socks,
And the [F]little streams of [C]chocolate milk
Come a-[F]tricklin' down the [G7]rocks,
The [C] teachers do your homework
And your [F]parents clean your [C]room.
There's a [F]lake of [C]stew,
And of [F]soda [C]too,
You can [F]paddle all a[C]round 'em
In a [F]big ca[C]noe,
In the [G7]Big Rock Candy [C]Mountains.
In the [G7]Big Rock Candy [C]Mountains.

Video: Hot Tamales with Mahalo Economy Ukulele

Here's the deal. I have 10 ukuleles in my house. I'm starting to feel like one of those weird cat ladys (you know, like from the Simpsons). The plus side of this, though, is that there is always a ukulele when I want one. And, I always want one. The down side of this..... hmmmm... you know, I can't think of a down side right now.

As a result of this abundance of ukuleles.  I've been walking around our house with a Mahalo in my hand for weeks.  When  it's time to give my boys their bath, I'm playing a ukulele.  When I'm kicking their dirty clothes down the hall and into the laundry room, I'm playing a ukulele.  When I'm reading them a bedtime story.... umm... ok, it probably doesn't help with that part.

Anyway, there are three Mahalos in my house.  My wife has a purple economy mahalo, my oldest son Simon has the green and little Gus has the blue.  I'm sure there are lots of ukulele experts (i.e. elitists... or snobs) who can tell you why you don't want a Mahalo ukulele.  But, I'm not one of those guys.  I've always been a bit of a Marxist when it comes to the arts.  If you tell people they can't afford the right tools to make their art then you are just trying to take art away from the normal guy.  Uncool.

So, let's celebrate the cheap ukulele!  Having a cheap ukulele beats having no ukulele any day of the week!  Just start playing!  Anyway, here's a video of me on Gussy's ukulele.